How to do a Carnevale Mask

Watch how a Carnevale mask is made by one of the last real Venetian artisans

While we were busy getting lost in Venice, we stumbled into a small workshop and studio where a Venetian mask maker was busy working away, crafting some bold and beautiful masks in the traditional way.

We interrupted them and got to know Margarita, one half of the married duo behind Mistero Buffo (www.misterobuffomask.com ). While Venice is flooded with cheap imitation masks made en masse in factories elsewhere, Margarita and her husband are some of the few trained Venetian mask makers left creating theatrical, decorative and Carnevale masks by hand, using traditional techniques and papier mâché.

Margerita told us each mask is unique and never replicated. She also told us that each mask takes several days to produce, due to the many steps involved in the process.

Margerita was kind enough to take a break from her mask making and show us, step by step, how a Venetian mask is made. Check out the video below!